To be sure, individual braids are the ones that have been increasingly sported by celebrities and have been taking the limelight of late. Box braids are a kind of individual braid extensions, and has suddenly grown in popularity. The reason that they are often compared with, or used in place of, micro braids is because they look very similar to micro braids, but for the major difference that box braids are not always natural, but use synthetic hair as extensions. Further, box braids also tend to be much larger in size than the micro braids. And micro braids are sometimes associated with a style of the 90’s, and hence they are sometimes considered a revival of the old fashion in the form of box braids. But it is the difference between the natural and the synthetic that makes the major distinguishing factor.

The name, box braids, is derived out of the small parts, or boxes, as they are called, which go on to make the braids. These are individual boxes, and they could be of any dimension in terms of size. However, the practice is that women tend to prefer a lengthy box braid, which is invariably made possible by adding synthetic to the natural strands, which ultimately results in the desired length and the fullness that is sought after. The advantage out of these box braids is that they are not attached to the scalp, and hence are open to manipulation through many different styles.